Zutara Week 2012
by KK Renee
Summary: Just my submissions for Zutara Week! I hope you like them. So, um, yeah. I couldn't come up with anything for the last three prompts and now it's horribly late to post anything else, I feel. Sorry 'bout that. Maybe next year.
1. Serendipity

_I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!_ Zuko thought as he rushed around the room. He was meeting with the most important councilmen of the Fire Nation in—five minutes ago! Why did Katara want to have lunch by the turtle-duck pond today? He was on a busy schedule! Agni, where were his clothes?

He noticed Katara standing in the doorway, smirking. "Did you move my clothes?" he asked. She just laughed and didn't give him an answer. She amusedly stared at him as he frantically searched around their room, opening all the drawers and spilling clothes out all over the ground. He knew she had something to do with this. "Katara, I'm late!" he said loudly.

"Don't look at me," she giggled as she walked over and sat on the bed, crossing her legs. Her eyes followed him as he made his way towards the closet. More sets of clothes were thrown out of the doorway.

Nothing. All of the clothes in the closet were Katara's or his casual clothes or his training clothes. His formal robes weren't anywhere to be found. He sighed in frustration. The dresser! He hurried across the room to the second dresser they had. He quickly opened the drawer and found…

Baby clothes?

"Katara, what's this?" he asked, holding up the small red garment as he faced her.

"Take one guess," she said and walked over to him to wrap her arms around his neck. He slid his around her waist instinctively.

"You're not—"

"I am."

Zuko couldn't help but grin. Still smiling, he leaned down and kissed his wife.

His meeting could wait.


	2. Momentous

Katara wiggled uncomfortably in her dress. She wasn't used to anything this…_extravagant. _There were layers and layers of cloth beneath the outer dress. It made her hot and sweaty in the humid heat of the Fire Nation. She would've much rather preferred a Water Tribe wedding, like one she had been planning since she was six. But since Zuko was the Fire Lord, she had to go through with a traditional Fire Nation wedding, to please the sages.

A knock on the door sounded before it was opened. An elderly lady stepped into the room. "Gran Gran!" Katara shouted. She hurried over to her grandmother, nearly tripping in floor-length dress. "You made it!" She wrapped her arms around Kanna.

"Of course I did," Gran Gran replied. "I couldn't miss my only granddaughter's wedding." She held Katara an arm's distance away, so she could get a good look at her. "That dress! What is it with the Fire Nation and its dresses? But it's beautiful, Katara. You're beautiful."

"Thank you, Gran Gran."

"Now, sit. Let's finish your hair." She led Katara onto the chair and shooed the maids away.

"Do you know when the others will get here?" Katara asked. "Did Dad and Sokka come with you?"

"Yes, they did," Kanna answered, pinning Katara's hair back. "They're helping everyone set things up for the wedding. They'll be up here shortly. Your friend Suki is downstairs, greeting Sokka. And Toph is all ready here, I heard."

"And she hasn't come to see me yet?"

When Katara's hair was nearly finished, Suki, Toph, and a few other friends Katara had made during her time here at the Fire Nation. They began fussing over Katara, exclaiming how pretty she looked. Except for Toph, but that was obvious. The attention made Katara blush.

When she was finished, she helped the other girls with their hair and into their bridesmaids dresses. It took twenty minutes to get Toph into hers, but she eventually complied reluctantly, but wouldn't let anyone touch her hair or apply any makeup. After everyone was ready and dressed, they allowed Hakoda and Sokka into the room. The two men hugged Katara.

The door began to open again. "Can I come in?" It was Zuko. Suki jumped up and hurried to the door.

"No!" she squealed. "Zuko, you can't come in here! It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding." She then shut the door in his face.

"Can I at least talk to her?"

"Through the door."

"Katara?" Zuko called.

"Yeah?" she called back.

"Just wanted to tell you I love you. And I'll be waiting for you. Just on the other end of that aisle."

"I love you, too, Zuko!"

A few minutes later, Kanna and Sokka exited to go downstairs and take her seat. The bridesmaids also left. That left Katara and Hakoda standing alone in the middle of the room. Katara began pacing, the realization of what was about to happen hitting her full-force.

"Dad," she said, "I'm getting _married_."

"Yes, I know," Hakoda replied. "You're all grown up now."

"I grew up when Mom died, Dad."

"I know. I just didn't want to believe it. You were so strong when you were little, still strong now."

Katara smiled, but then returned to her worries. "I'm marrying _Zuko_. The Fire Lord! I'd always imagine marrying some Water Tribe warrior—not royalty. I can't do this, Dad."

"Yes, you can. You helped end this war. If you can do that, then I'm positive you can get married."

"I'm not so sure…What if I trip or say the wrong thing? Or what if the citizens don't like me? I'm going to be their Fire Lady! That's like a queen! I'm going to _rule_ these people. Rule a place I've hated for half my life."

"Katara, you'll do great. You'll do a good job as Fire Lady. And you'll have Zuko there to help you."

"Thank you, Daddy. I love you." They hugged until Suki opened the door, telling Katara to hurry up, that the wedding was beginning.

"Are you ready, Katara?" Hakoda asked. Katara nodded. The three of them made their way downstairs and paused at the big, ornate doors. The bridal party was already lined up. At the cue of the music, they walked slowly down the aisle, matching the tempo of the music.

At last, it was Katara's turn. She hooked her arm around her father's. The doors opened once more and they began walking. Her grip tightened on Hakoda's arm when all the guests turned to look at her. She wasn't expecting this many people. There were nearly a hundred of them! And there were even more crowded outside, she knew, all waiting to catch that first glimpse of the newlywed couple. Thousands more would be further down in the city, all waiting for the parade that would follow. She heard from one of the maids that people had all ready begun to line up alongside the road and the parade wasn't for a few more hours.

She was beginning to get overwhelmed again. She turned her head away from the crowd, pausing briefly at the front of the room to smile at her grandmother and brother and friends, before moving to lock eyes with Zuko.

Everyone else seemed to fade away—not completely, but their presence didn't bother her anymore. She was only focused on her father, who was keeping her steady, and her almost-husband, the man who looked almost as nervous as she was, maybe even more so. She knew how well Zuko could hide his emotions.

Hakoda and Katara reached the end of the seemingly forever-long aisle. Hakoda unlatched his daughter's hand from his arm and placed it in Zuko's open hand. Zuko bowed to Hakoda. The Water Tribe chief nodded in return. He turned and took his seat next to Sokka. Zuko turned the opposite way and helped Katara up the steps to the Fire Sage who was conducting the ceremony. They knelt down and Katara tried not to rip the delicate fabric of her dress. Her veil was beginning to irritate her. Her back was forced straight, held up by her extremely tight bindings under the many layers of her dress. She couldn't take deep breaths because of this reason. And she really could use a deep breath.

"We are here today," the Sage began, "under the watchful eye of Agni,"—Katara had hoped that he would mention Tui and La, like she requested, but she guessed things were being kept strictly traditional—"to witness the marriage of Fire Lord Zuko, grandson of Azulon, now passed, and Ilah, now passed, son of Ozai and Ursa, now passed; and Katara of the Water Tribe, granddaughter of Yohan, now passed, and Kanna, daughter of Hakoda and Kya, now passed." The ceremony went on with more formalities and introductions. The Sage then went on to tell an old Fire Nation legend from many years ago, one Katara had heard several times before with her lessons with Zuko. (He had to keep repeating it because she was…distracted that day.) Her knees were now beginning to hurt from kneeling.

At last they were allowed to stand. And now was the time for their vows…She had spent weeks pacing out on the balcony after Zuko was asleep, trying to memorize the vows she had written herself. (Well, Iroh did help her with the traditional Fire Nation ending.) With how nervous she was, she hoped she didn't forget any lines or stumble on her words.

Zuko began first. His vows were short and sweet. It wasn't often the sweeter side of Zuko revealed itself to the public. She couldn't quit smiling when Zuko slid the ring on her finger. It was a simple gold band with a ruby embedded into the top. It was his mother's Zuko had told her. It had been locked away for years, ever since his mother's banishment. She couldn't stop staring at it.

Katara said her vows. She did trip on her words, but not in a way that embarrassed her. She stuttered and paused because she was so _happy_ and couldn't spit her words out right. She was handed Zuko's ring and she slid it onto his ring finger. It was a gold band, but inside Katara had somebody inscribe their names on the inside.

The Sage announced them man and wife. Zuko lifted up Katara's veil and kissed her. The kiss was short, shorter than either of them wanted, but they were in front of an audience. When they broke away, grinning at each other, applause broke out. Unannounced, Zuko swept Katara up and practically ran down the aisle. Laughing, Katara threw her bouquet in the air.

It landed in Toph's hands.

**Yeah, I don't like this. Sorry I made the actual ceremony part short. I didn't know what to have them say for their vows and everything. And I didn't know how to turn vows that I found on the Internet sound like something from the Avatar world. I was going to write the reception, but I thought I ended it at a good spot.**

**But, happy Zutara Week, my fellow Zutarians! :D **


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